Apparatus for interphase contact between fluids

ABSTRACT

975,274. Gas/liquid contact apparatus. AEROTEC INDUSTRIES Inc. July 24, 1961 [Aug. 1, 1960], No. 26766/61. Heading B1R. Apparatus for interphase contact between a liquid and a gas comprises a container 10 having vertically spaced fluid-passable partitions 11, 14, between which are contained spherical bodies of a weight to be buoyed towards the upper partition by gas passing upward, the upper partition 11 constituting an inclined contact frontier adapted to deflect the bodies laterally on contact from below. The upper partition may be inclined upwardly from a mid-point of the container and also may be inclined downwardly near the wall of the container, or may comprise a plurality of inclined surfaces extending from one side wall of the container to the other, the inclinations alternating with respect to the horizontal. The upper contact frontier may be a foraminated plate or may be defined by free ends of pins extending downwards in the container. The lower partition may be planar or curved convex downwards. The container may be narrowed in transverse lateral cross-section where the lower boundary joins the walls. Specification 898,092 is referred to.

Y Nov. 23, 1965 s. WILLIAMS ETAL APPARATUS FOR INTERPHASE CONTACT BETWEEN FLUIDS Filed Aug. 1, 19Go NVENTORS IWILLIAMS STEWART meNoLD PE1-5:25am BY EDWARD H. R. PEGG QHGMW Q MM V l. Sgo

GTTORNEY United States Patent O 3,219,324 APPARATUS FOR INTERPHASE CONTACT RETWEEN FLUDS Stewart Williams, Weston, and Alfred Arnold Petersen, Byram, Conn., and Edward H. R. Pegg, Port Chester, NX., assignors, by mesne assignments, to Universal Oil Products Company, Des Plaines, Ill., a corporation of Delaware Filed Aug. 1, 1960, Ser. No. 46,764 2 Claims. (Cl. 261-95) Our invention relates to improvements in an apparatus of A. W. Kielback described in Belgian Patent No. 581,- 152 and South African Patent No. 2,704/59.

In the method described in the above patents an interphase contact between lluids is achieved, and more particularly methods and arrangements are described for effectuating mutual contact between gas and liquid in counter-current flow.

The above invention utilizes a vertical shell having one or several compartments composed of relatively horizontal upper and lower grilles between which appropriately weighted spheres are contained. Within the shell above the upper grille water or other absorbing liquid is introduced and gas or air containing the product to be collected, or any impurity to be removed, is introduced beneath the lower grille. The appropriately weighted spheres are partially suspended by the upwardly passing gases or air in more or less constant motion due to the counter-current air or gas and liquids reacting thereon.

The upwardly buoyed weighted spheres are said to form a loose and mobile bed and to obtain a rotating and turning movement of the spheres which results in a maximum of wetted surface of the spheres being exposed to the gas or air and due to the motion of the spheres tends to inhibit the collection of solid particles, such as tar, on the surface of these spheres. The proper rotation and motion of the spheres can be obtained only by a correct ratio between the weight of the spheres per cubic volume, the volume of liquid descending and the flow and velocity of gas passing upward.

If the amount of upwardly passing gas is excessive the spheres have a tendency to mat against the undersurface of the grille and at this point to remain relatively stationary. Such lack of motion tends to defeat the primary purpose of a floating bed of spheres. Consequently there is an increased tendency to collect tars or other substances and the free air flow of the gas is decreased with a result that the resistance to the passage of gas through the apparatus is increased.

Our invention provides apparatus in which the capacity for the flow of gas within the apparatus is increased relative to its size and in which the tendency of the spheres to rotate and to be violently agitated is also increased.

In our invention the upper grille against which the spheres are buoyed is provided with inclined surfaces so that as these spheres contact the slanting sides of the grille they move upwardly at an incline displacing spheres at the upper end of the inclined surface sidewise causing them to movel downwardly and to thereafter inwardly and upwardly to the inclined surface. There is, therefore, created a circulation and agitation of the spheres which causes them to rotate individually so that water or other cleaning fluid supplied above the upper grille and descending to contact with the spheres coat the surfaces of the spheres uniformly and present the liquid coated surfaces to a maximum contact with the upwardly passing gas or air.

There may be inclined surfaces of various forms, some of which present a number of downwardly pointed ridges. In a preferred form of the invention the grille is inclined from a central point or ridge upwardly and outwardly to ice the wall of the container and is curved reversely downwardly. This causes a circulation of the weighted spheres upwardly at the center of the container, thence outwardly along the lower surface of the grille to the outer wall of the container whereupon they move downwardly and back to the center. In this preferred embodiment also the lower grille may be curved to present an upwardly concave curvature which facilitates the circulation of the downwardly descending spheres toward the center of the apparatus.

The various features of our invention are disclosedl in the accompanying drawings in which FIG. l is a vertical section of the apparatus embodying a preferred form of the invention;

FIG. 2 is a similar section through apparatus embodying a different form of the preferred embodiment;

FIG. 3 is another form of embodiment of the invention, and

FIGS. 4 and 5 are embodiments showing a number of oppositely inclined surfaces of the upper grille.

Referring more particularly to FIG. 1, the gas cleaning apparatus of our invention comprises a container 1t) having a grille 11 extending upwardly from a center point or ridge 12 to a reversely curved portion 13 which merges with the wall of the container 10. A lower grille 14 spans the container at a distance below the upper grille and is dished downwardly. A number of appropriately weighted spheres 15 is provided between the grilles 11 and 14 and kept in suspension by means of the passage of gas upwardly from the bottom or lower part of the container 10 through openings in the grilles, as indicated by the broken line arrows 16. The air or gas then passes upwardly through the lower grille 14 and buoys the spheres 15 upwardly bringing them into contact with the sloping portion of the grille 11. Upon conta-ct with the sloping portion of the grille the spheres move upwardly and outwardly to the reversely curved portion 13, thence downwardly along the inner surface of the container 10 and return to the central portion as indicated by the solid line arrows 17.

Water is sprayed through a spray pipe 18 above the upper grille 11 and passing downwardly through this grille counter-current to the flow of air wets the spheres. It will be understood that the upwardly passing gas causes the spheres to react against the inclined surface of the upper grille to give them an outer component of motion which displaces spheres that collect beneath the reversely curved portion 13. A collection of the spheres below the reversely curved part 13 of the grille causes them to move downwardly because of an increased number of spheres relative to the ow of gas along the inner surface of the container.

`In FIG. 2 the container is shown as having an inner wall 19 which contracts upwardly at 20 to a throat portion 21 and then expands outwardly as at 22 to the wall of the container. This has the effect of increasing the upward flow of the gas centrally of the container and favoring a rapid circulation of the spheres.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 3 the arrangement of the lower grille 14 and of the upper grille 11 in the container 10 is similar to that of FIG. 1, however, the upper grille 11 extends from the central part of the inner surface of the wall of the container without change of inclination, and the lower grille 14 is flat and horizontal.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 4 the lower grille may be llat as in FIG. 3, or dished as in FIG. l. The upper gril-le is provided with downwardly extending pins 23 of different lengths `so as to form upwardly inclined points of contact with the spheres 15 and thus provide for an upward and sidewise movement of the spheres thereby obtaining in multiple a circulation similar to that of FIG. 1.

In FIG. 5 arrangement is similar to that of the preceding iigures except that the upper grille 11 is made with a number of sections 24 of alternate inclination. In this embodiment of the invention the spheres move upwardly along the inclined surface of the grille toward the ridge part and thence drop downwardly to be recirculated due to a decreased buoyant effect of the air relative to the spheres at these elevated points on the grille.

The various modifications are all directed to the achievement by the same end, namely the prevention of a relatively consolidated mat of spheres against the upper lgrille basically by increasing the area of the upper grille, lowering the resistance of flow of gas and creating a more rapidly moving and rotating group of spheres. This results, among other advantages, in a greatly increased capacity of the apparatus.

For example in a container of equal size the use of the grille arrangement shown in FIG. 1 increased the capacity 9.6%. The resistance to iow Was at the same time decreased 20%. Based upon the ratio of resistance to ow relative to the capacity, the reduction was in eifect equal to 33.5% of the pressure that would have been required to obtain the same capacity as that 4of the embodiment of FIG. 4.

Having described our invention, what we claim is:

1. Apparatus for interphase contact between a liquid and a fluid which comprises a container having a pair of vertically spa-ced foraminous partitions dividing said containers into a lower chamber for the inlet of gas and withdrawal yof liquid, an upper chamber for the supply of liquid .and the withdrawal of gas and an intermediate chamber for interphase contact of ysaid liquid and gas, said upper partition extending in a succession of oppositely inclined upwardly sloping areas from one wall of said container to the opposite wall to deect spheres in said intermediate chamber upwardly and sidewise along the under surface of said partition, said container having a gas inlet below the lower partition and a gas outlet above the upper partition, a liquid supply element above the upper partition and a liquid outlet below the lower partition and spheres in said container between said partitions, said spheres being of a weight to be buoyed upwardly against the upwardly sloping areas of said upper partition and to move upwardly and transversely along said sloping areas.

2. Apparatus for interphase contact between a liquid l and a fluid which comprises a container having a pair of vertically spaced foraminous partitions dividing said container into a lower chamber for the inlet of gas and withdrawal of liquid, an upper chamber for the supply of liquid and withdrawal of gas and an intermediate chamber for interphase contact of said liquid and gas, the upper partition having areas sloping upwardly, said upper partition comprising a flat horizontal forarninous plate and pins extending downwardly from said plate to ends lying in inclined planes to deflect spheres in said intermediate -chamber upwardly .and sidewise along the under surface of said partition, said container having a gas inlet below the lower partition and a gas outlet above the upper partition, a liquid supply element above the upper partition and a liquid outlet lbelow the lower partition and spheres in said container between said partitions, Isaid spheres being of a weight to be buoyed upwardly against the upwardly sloping areas of said upper partition and to move upwardly and transversely along said sloping areas.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,105,778 1/1938 Behr et al 34-57 3,122,594 2/ 1964 Keilback.

FOREIGN PATENTS 584,152 7/1959 Belgium. 640,968 5/ 1962 Canada. 1,234,396 5/1960 France.

HARRY B. THORNTON, Primary Examiner.

HERBERT L. MARTIN, Examiner. 

1. APPARATUS FOR INTERPHASE CONTACT BETWEEN A LIQUID AND A FLUID WHICH COMPRISES A CONTAINER HAVING A PAIR OF VERTICALLY SPACED FORAMINOUS PARTITIONS DIVIDING SAID CONTAINERS INTO A LOWER CHAMBER FOR THE INLET OF GAS AND WITHDRAWAL OF LIQUID, AN UPPER CHAMBER FOR THE SUPPLY OF LIQUID AND THE WITHDRAWAL OF GAS AND AN INTERMEDIATE CHAMBER FOR INTERPHASE CONTACT OF SAID LIQUID AND GAS, SAID UPPER PARTITION EXTENDING IN A SUCCESSION OF OPPOSITELY INCLINED UPWARDLY SLOPING AREAS FROM ONE WALL OF SAID CONTAINER TO THE OPPOSITE WALL TO DEFLECT SPHERES IN SAID INTERMEDIATE CHAMBER UPWARDLY AND SIDEWISE ALONG THE UNDER SURFACE OF SAID PARTITION, SAID CONTAINER HAVING A GAS INLET BELOW THE LOWER PARTITION AND A GAS OUTLET ABOVE THE UPPER PARTITION, A LIQUID SUPPLY ELEMENT ABOVE THE UPPER PARTITION AND A LIQUID OUTLET BELOW THE LOWER PARTITION AND SPHERES IN SAID CONTAINER BETWEEN SAID PARTITIONS, SAID SPHERES BEING OF A WEIGHT TO BE BUOYED 